The PlayStation Vita’s Past and Future

PlayStation Vita hasn’t had an easy go of it in its first year on the market. For as promising as the handheld appeared to be before its release, it’s failed to light the sales charts on fire both in its native Japan and in the west. As a result, questions about Vita’s future have already arisen in earnest as Sony continues to stand by its machine, seemingly unaware (or simply unwilling to admit) that anything has gone wrong.

[jujubee88]

I guess they should. At the same time, if Orbis winds up connecting to VITA to the enth degree and there arrives to be a super affordable VITA+Orbis bundle at launch than we will see why it was SCEA way of marketing was not true to the tech and the ecosystem.

Seriously, it would make all the sense in the world for a VITA and PS4 (aka Orbis) bundle to be there at launch for, say, $400 and than all PS4 games, media, etc can be streamed to the VITA's display (with Remote Play 2.0).

If that's not the case, holy crap. Something went wrong.

Of course, I also look forward to actual VITA base games like "Soul Sacrifice", "TearAway" and (hopefully) "Gravity Rush 2" in the future.

post edit: Before any one says $400 is far too low for a VITA+PS4 budle, let's keep in mind VITA does not cost a lot to manufacture and it could be re-designed in a bundle to be cheaper than what one mind find right now at retail. Also, it is heavily rumored PS4 will not use Cell; which is what cost Sony to eat hundreds per each launch PS3 sold.

It wont be a huge risk if Sony even eat just $70 to $150 per VITA+PS4 bundle if they make such a thing a limited, secondary SKU at launch.

[tubers]

VITA's gonna take some pretty huge potential hit if it doesn't play well together with PS4.. unless Sony has some other great ideas for the VITA later on.

This sounds a little dumb but for some reason, I think the PSV will feel more like a PS3 after PS4 release.

[Kevin ButIer]

I don't think that Sony will make such kind of effort to boost Vita sales. Still, I bet they will push the whole ecosystem idea on both devices.

[rpd123]

I don't think the Vita should be so dependent on a home console. It's a portable device that stands up on it's own. The most they should do is work on getting every game to work with remote play.

[admiralvic]

$400 IS far too low and the Wii U is "proof" of that.

While we obviously don't know the actual to make a Vita or Wii U, I can go off how much MSRP is. In the case of the WIi U gamepad, thats roughly $160 dollars in Japan, where as the Vita currently costs $250 in the US (far more in Japan). When you consider most people think the Wii U is "on par" with current generation consoles, it is impossible to fathom how anyone thinks both of them combined would cost $100 more than a standard Wii U...

[jujubee88]

You will agree that when the PS3 first launched it would have been impossible to fathom the system cost close to $1000 USD on BoM first, but Sony retailed it for $600. Right?

You will also HAVE to agree that despite launching one year after 360, the PS3 is now "on par" to 360's lifetime sales and now Sony is able to make profit on their investment.

These are the facts. These are not just MSRP prices fitted by retailers (which as we know can be deflated at times like black friday) or words of rhetoric by some CEO standing on a stage about how they will take a hit (even though they never say how much, it's unlikely to be huge). Sony has the BoM and profits from PS3 starting at launch to today that shows its history.

No. It is not "impossible to fathom" a limited stock, launch bundle of VITA and PS4 for $400 USD. Even if it's just to test the audience, the type of diminishing return of a limited edition VITA+PS4 SKU vs a plain PS4 SKU will be so marginal that it wont hurt Sony at all. Infact, such a package will be more likely to increase the platform for VITA and (possibly) even increase awareness of the ecosystem so that it may raise the profile of Playstation to a wider audience.

p.s. It is proven that VITA's part are (for the most part) off the shelf and is nowhere near as customized as the PSP was.

http://www.eurogamer.net/ar...

So, it is not difficult to imagine SCE looking at other parts to make it even costs less when bundled with PS4 (i.e. like going with a Retina Display/BRAVIA Mobile like LCD display). Also, we do not know about PS4's manufacturing price but they have said themselves that they are not going to take a hit like the PS3, and (as was explained above) a limited edition PS4+VITA bundle will be nowhere near the risk of the PS3. Which, when you think about it, even that risk turned out well for Sony. :)

[admiralvic]

Wow... I really have no idea how to reply to this, because you clearly have no concept of how marketing works or even branding, so you run your mouth like you know whats going on, but I got news... you don't.

Since you want to look at things "another way", you're not using ANY logic in your approach. First off you assume the PS4 will be cheap enough to make and bundle with a Vita for $400, when a PS3 and Vita would likely cost you over $400 alone. Also no matter how much it costs to make a Vita, to "look into things" costs money and they would need to keep it at the relative specs (or better), since it also has to function as a Vita. This aspect will take time / money for R&D, so in a lot of ways cost more than the current Vita (due to limited run, development and such), so if anything... they would release the new Vita model and simply phase out the older ones via this. Also the act of making it limited would further decrease their desire to do so.

"nfact, such a package will be more likely to increase the platform for VITA and (possibly) even increase awareness of the ecosystem so that it may raise the profile of Playstation to a wider audience. "

Also this is where you're MOST mistaken. This bundle would MOST LIKELY cause people to think the Vita is nothing more than a PS4 peripheral, like the Move. This was a HUGE problem with the Wii U gamepad, since many people saw the Wiimotes and merely thought it was a console add on. The S E C O N D this bundle would come to exist, N4G would get spammed with the following article types...

1) Sony lost faith in the Vita, bundles with PS4.
2) Vita is nothing more than a PS4 peripheral.
3) Sony is ripping off the Wii U.
4) Will the PS4 require the Vita to be usable?

and other such articles. This probably would be the future if this happened, but feel free to think that we would get a $400 dollar bundle and Sony would make enough profit to make up for their failing departments.

[Tultras]

In my opinion, i think the Vita was built to have some sort of partnership with the Ps4.

[KangarooSam]

Right now the PSP can cross-play more PS3 games than the Vita. So if old hardware can handle streaming that then I assume Sony's just slacking off with PS3-Vita support to fully enforce it with PS4.

[tachy0n]

agree, check out the PSVita mystery port thats on top of the system!

there is ABSOLUTELY no use for it right now!

[black911]

Vita needs free or a cheap yearly price like $70 4G and one amazing exclusive single player game like san andreas stories and one amazing online game that will draw everyone in.

[abzdine]

Vita clearly doesn't have support from third party developpers. Sony cannot afford developping games for Vita forever. This machine has a potential, but it's still very far from seducing the crowd.
I showed the Vita last week to a guy i know and he tried uncharted on it for a couple of minutes. He was blown away and he never could imagine Vita being capable of such level of performance and he definitely wants one.

The problem is, on top of no support from 3rd party, is a crual lack of INFORMATIVE ads!!!

[Sci0n]

Got my vita and it has given me countless hours of fun, uncharted golden abyss gets heavy playing time, PS all stars, ragnorak odyssey, little big planet vita, assassin's creed. I am also usually in a cross game cross party chat room with up to 8 friends while gaming listening to music looking at photos, taking pictures, downloading, watching YouTube videos, watching Netflix or whatever else. This thing is a beast and the ultimate multitasker. I see these articles and laugh to myself because I remember all the same articles when PS3 launched before it was even a year in its time the web deemed it as being doomed. Silly rabbits.

[axerated]

I still hope to get me one of these this year, I'm just waiting for an enticing fps, an epic rpg and a good racing game and I will be all over it. As it stands uncharted and gravity rush aren't quite enough to make me take the plunge. Soon...

[Sci0n]

Watch when the PS4 comes out history will repeat itself all over again. People will expect to see the consoles potential fully maxed out in less then a year and will post dumb articles if the games or features don't live up to there immediate expectations. I am looking forward to playing Phantasy Star online 2 on the vita and killzone, I am also looking forward to playing last of us on the PS3 and getting my hands on a PS4 once those drop.

[DrugAddict-]

LOL people who thought the Vita wasn't going to be like the PSP were in denial..

[rezzah]

In what ways is it like the PSP?

[DrugAddict-]

In the "no games" way

[tubers]

2nd fiddle to Nintendo.

[TongkatAli]

But But....... you win Troll /s

[Hicken]

... so you're saying the PSP has no games? That's interesting, if not an outright lie... which it is.

And, by extension, that the Vita has no games? That is another fallacy.

Or are you saying the PERCEPTION that the PSP has no games... which would still be wrong.

If you were going by extension, again, for the Vita, you could be correct in saying there's a PERCEPTION that the Vita lacks games. But that'd be the only thing you got right out of what you were saying.

But since that's not likely what you were implying, you likely got NOTHING right.

[Sci0n]

Its nothing like the PSP you are clearly a troll who must not own one.